Being Positive When it's all Negative

A week or so ago, I was asked to be on a radio program today to talk about Feng Shui and how it could help during these challenging times. Specifically the topic was "Creating a Positive Environment in Negative Times." This is a talk radio program and I was scheduled to have one half-hour with the host discussing ways people can change their environment to offset the negative world situation. Prior to the program the host and I had considered several ways to take the discussion prior to the program and established some talking points. She let me know that at some point she would open up the program for callers.

Although the weather was fine driving to the station, about ten minutes after I arrived, it started snowing. We had been warned of a huge snow storm headed our way so this wasn’t a surprise. By the time I went into the studio, the blowing snow made it impossible to see across the street. No one could predict the quick severity of the storm, so the first ten minutes of my time was used up by the weatherman giving listeners the latest forecast.

What I didn’t know is that prior to my segment, the host had asked listeners to call in with the name of the person they would most like to meet, dead or alive. Just as I was finally making my first point on-air, there was a caller. "KURT RUSSELL!!" she announced. I looked at my host who engaged the caller for several minutes about her preference. It was then time for a commercial and a weather update.

When we returned, I managed to finish my first point when another caller came on and gave a nice testimonial about using Feng Shui. The second caller wanted to meet Audrey Hepburn, and then the weatherman filled us in on more details. I had a moment to talk about red underwear, hear one more lengthy testimonial, have a commercial, and my time was up.

I left the station disappointed at the turn of events. A lot of effort and time had gone into preparation for this 30 minute segment which turned into no more than 5 or 6 minutes. My frustration was enhanced even further when I couldn’t retrace my steps to the parking ramp elevators (finally had to ask for help), couldn’t remember the floor I had parked on (three tries before I found my car), temporarily lost my parking ticket requiring me to find a place to pull over in the ramp and get out to search under the seat, pay $11 for one hour of parking, and spend 45 minutes driving home in a total white-out storm. The irony of the topic wasn’t lost on me----being positive when it’s negative. Somehow I mistakenly thought it was a topic I’d talk about not one I’d experience.

Chinese Valentines Day

Although the Chinese don’t necessarily celebrate St. Valentine’s Day, they do have a day devoted to the same idea. This is called Qi Qiao Jie, which takes place on the seventh day of the seventh month. This year the holiday falls on August 26th. There are two legends associated with this day.

The first version involves the seven daughters of the Goddess of Heaven who are batheing in the river. A cowherd named Niu Lang sees them and decides to run off with their clothing. Realizing that they’re in an awkward predicament, they enlist the youngest daughter, Zhi Nu, to go after him to get their clothes back. She happened to also be the most attractive of all the daughters.
Since Niu Lang has now seen Zhi Nu naked, they have to get married. The couple lived happily for several years. However, her mother, the Goddess of Heaven, eventually decided she wanted her daughter to return home. But seeing their wedded bliss, she allows them to be reunited once a year. So on the seventh night of the seventh month, magpies form a bridge with their wings enabling Zhi Nu to cross over and be with her husband and children.

The second version is less well-known. In this story, Niu Lang and Zhi Nu were fairies who had fallen in love but were living on opposite sides of the Milky Way. The Jade Emperor felt sorry for the two fairies and decided to bring them together. They became so caught up with one another that they failed to do their work. So the Emperor forbid them to be together except for one night a year—the seventh night of the seventh.

On this night, those interested in the astrological connection of Qi Qiao Jie can see Zhi Nu in the sky in the form of the star Vega, east of the Milky Way. On the west side of the Milky Way is the constellation Aquila which represents Niu Lang waiting for his lover to join him.

All You Need is Dove

In my years of experience in the Feng Shui world, I have come up with a couple pretty earth-shattering revelations. They may be obvious once I state them, but I don’t think anyone else has claimed this data, so let me be the first. I’ve discovered some common threads that run through the lives of people who study and practice Feng Shui. Sometimes it’s a certain "je ne sais quoi" that simply hits me----someone just feels or looks like they’d be open to Feng Shui. Perhaps it’s the way they’re dressed or the fact that they’re shopping at Whole Foods. Whatever. I feel a sense of camaraderie with a total stranger.

However, my theory extends far past this idea. A long time ago I witnessed the inordinate amount of my clients who had cats. I kept track for a while and I went nearly one whole year visiting clients on a brisk basis. Each one had at least one cat. The first time I visited someone who didn’t have a cat, it was just odd. Having three cats myself, I feel a real kinship with other cat owners.

Now I have another discovery. Feng Shui people, almost without exception, love chocolate. Whenever we have a birthday celebration during one of our training weekends, someone brings cake---chocolate, of course. A student will go on a baking binge and bring treats for us all---brownies. The Wind and Water School of Feng Shui is housed in the Old Arizona complex in Minneapolis, part of which is a store. One of their specialities? Chocolates. Late last fall I re-released my first book while at the same time the owners of this store were introducing a new line of chocolates, so we teamed up with a "Feng Shui and Chocolate" event. People were streaming in all afternoon, blissed out with chocolate, asking Feng Shui questions, buying my books. Fun was had by all.

Sometimes a student will say they "take it or leave it" when talking about chocolate but I’ve yet to meet anyone who despises it. Of course, there’s always the possibility that someone who hates chocolate is too intimidated to admit this fact among all of us chocoholics.
As with any hypothesis, holes could be punched into these cat-chocolate claims. No doubt there’s someone out there, a well-qualified Feng Shui consultant who can’t tolerate either. But they’ll have to admit, if they’ve done any kind of research at all, they’re in the minority. Perhaps it’s a gender thing since most of my students and clients are women, and women are known to be partial to both. Somehow I don’t really think that undermines my theory much at all—don’t know why exactly, but my argument still feels strong. Now if I could just train my cats to bring me my Dove bars.